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You are here: Home / Analysis & Valuations / Safal Niveshak Classroom: How to Read a Balance Sheet

Safal Niveshak Classroom: How to Read a Balance Sheet

You might remember Cuba Gooding Jr.’s immortal line from the movie Jerry Maguire, “Show me the money!”

That’s what financial statements do for investors – show the money that companies earn, own, and owe.

These statements appear in a company’s annual report, and are broadly classified into three categories:

  1. Balance Sheet
  2. Profit & Loss Account
  3. Cash Flow Statement

Over the next few weeks, we will discuss these key financial statements that companies use to communicate their performance with investors, and how you can use them to identify the best long-term investment opportunities.

Let’s start with the Balance Sheet, also known as the ‘Statement of Financial Position’ of a company.

The Balance Sheet explained…
A Balance Sheet offers a snapshot of a company’s health.

It tells you how much a company owns (assets), and how much it owes (liabilities). The difference between what it owns and what it owes is its “equity”, also commonly called “net assets” or “shareholders equity”.

A balance sheet shows how a company stands at a given moment. There is no such thing as a balance sheet covering the year 2010. It can only be for a single date, for example, March 31, 2010.

Here is a small video I’ve prepared to help you with a basic understanding of the Balance Sheet.


If you can’t view the video above, click here to view. And, by the way, don’t forget to turn on your speakers.

I will follow up on this video with more sessions on explaining the various aspects of the Balance Sheet and how it is such an important statement for you – the investor.

In the meanwhile, after seeing the above video, if you have any question on the basics of a Balance Sheet, just post the same in the Comments section below and I’ll try to answer it.

Anyways, you might ask – “Is there a way I can invest in stocks without understanding financial statements or a balance sheet?”

Of course, there’s a way. But it’s very much like climbing Mount Everest without knowing mountaineering.

You might still reach the peak, but the chances are miniscule.

You know that, don’t you?

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Mansoor says

    January 16, 2012 at 10:09 pm

    Thanks for doing this. Great start. I must say your method of explaining is very similar to Salman Khan (not the bollywood actor :)). Now I am starting to understand the balance sheet better. Look forward to more.

    Reply
    • Vishal Khandelwal says

      January 17, 2012 at 12:29 pm

      Thanks Mansoor! Yeah, the idea of doing such videos comes from Sal. I’m happy that I’m able to do some justice through these videos. Keep watching! 🙂

      Reply
  2. ajay says

    June 26, 2012 at 3:46 pm

    Dear Vishal,

    It was one of the best class room about stock analysis! I am waiting eagerly for your classes.

    Reply
    • Vishal Khandelwal says

      June 26, 2012 at 5:44 pm

      Thanks Ajay!

      Reply
  3. Sudipta says

    December 25, 2013 at 7:34 pm

    Thank You Sir… its amazing how can u can start at a basic level, and take it to a hugely higher level of analyis.

    Reply
  4. DEEPANSHU says

    January 1, 2015 at 8:21 pm

    Sir u explained in a very awesome way and I want different companies balance sheet plz tell me from where I will get full balance sheet of different companies

    Reply
  5. Ravi Kumar N says

    January 25, 2015 at 9:11 am

    Thanks Vishal. God bless you for all the good work.

    Appreciate if you can post the transcript of the video.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. 5 Essential Skills You Need to Advance Your Career - Aryatra says:
    June 11, 2020 at 7:55 am

    […] If you want to know how a value investor reads a balance sheet, you can check out this post. […]

    Reply
  2. 3 Timeless Lessons on Structuring Your Thinking from Sherlock Holmes - Vishipedia says:
    August 4, 2021 at 4:51 am

    […] That’s vague. What should they teach you? And will it be useful for you? What if they want to teach you calculus? Or how the limited slip-differential works in a Lamborghini? Or how the derivatives market works when you don’t even know how to read a balance sheet? […]

    Reply

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